Jump Jam - Syndicate Four

A photo of all of the Syndicate Four classes, participating in Jump Jam. Obviously, all enjoying themselves :)
Some of the front row people are- Micah Heath (room 9), Riain Lynch (Room 9), Talauga Elia (Room 11), and Kaylee Johnson (Room 9).

Merrin 2011 Cross Country

On behalf of the school, many thanks to the parents who supported us and their children by turning out on a beautiful day!! It involved some give and take due to another 11 schools that got caught out trying to sneak in without anyone noticing!! They owe me a beer . . . (and have delivered). Thanks to Mr Parry (see right) we have a slideshow of the day.

Congratulations to:

Place	9 Year Boys	9 Year Girls	10 Year Boys	10 Year Girls
1st	Luke Aldridge	Melissa Coker	Lucas Parry	Beth Wray
2nd	Dylan Bennett	Lily Curragh	Mitchell Hay	Ophelia Stott
3rd	Ben Petrie	Megan Miles	Ben Lee	Bailey Chamberlain
4th	Robert Pryor	Olivia Armstrong	Yannic Bakx	Wendy Jone
5th	Muhammed Mann	Jenna Cornere	Jayavi Premaratne	Kaylee Johnson
6th	Nathan V. Slooten	Madison L.-Reid	Nathan Louis	Maddison Tuaine
Place	11 Year Boys	11 Year Girls	12+ Year Boys	12+ Year Girls
1st	Micah Heath	Emma Clarke	Nathan James	Sarah Cook
2nd	James Glynn	Tessa Lobb	Jayden Nicholl	Alexis Blackie
3rd	Noah Chamberlain	M.-Rose Parry	Jack Sharpe	Georgina Taylor
4th	Jack Goodgame	Melissa Bailey	John McLaughlan	Faapena Elia
5th	Caleb Dulieu	Olivia Smith	Jackson Perriam	Madeline White
6th	Josh Hawes	Sophie Austen	William Austen	Emma Bennett

   

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Parenting . . .At Home Ep 6 Pt 3

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Parenting . . .The School Ep 6 Pt 2

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Parenting . . .Ep 6 Pt 1, 2 & 3

 

For good reasons, we're a big fan of this program. Consider it a heads up on rough waters ahead, or if you're really unlucky what you're already up against. Some good advice on underpants (not too tight, not too loose), how to avoid being the subject of a staffroom gossip and what to do when your teen gets in trouble at school, with the law or you!! 

The 2 Ronnies if they'd had computers (Ronnie Barker died a while ago)

Restorative Justice, Bullying, Yellow Cards and Merrin School

Bullying is prevalent in many schools in New Zealand. It's in the media here, here, here and here. But it's also prevalent in adult life here, here and of all places here. In fact it's been so prevalent that ERO have been tasked with specifically reporting on school culture in their reports.

So what do we make of what seems to be a clear culture of bullying that extends across all ages, races, cultures and both men and women? Are we really at the top of the heap as discussed in one article? How do we stop it?

I've always had an issue with one part of the story: If bullying is about power and control, the strong against the weak, the bad against the good - why are bullies often so popular with their peers? I mean, really popular. And it's not through fear. I've seen children that are at the top of the social tree, well-liked and from what we would say are 'good' homes, that have bullied other children.  

The NYTimes has this to say: web of popularity weaved by bullies . When I read this article I had an 'aha' moment. This is the first time I've read anything that matches most of what I can see in the classroom, at play and from my own life. Yes, there is bullying of the kind that needs to be stopped in its tracks. But the majority of what I see is the same as in the article: aggression aimed at gaining the bully status in the peer group.

So, if this is the case, we've been approaching the solution the wrong way. And there's an obvious reason why restorative justice works when done well. If most of our bullying is really aggression aimed at jockeying for social status, then punishing the bully without involving the victim will never work, because we haven't changed the outcome: the bully has risen up the tree. By involving the victim, giving them the chance to take ownership of the restitution process and then following through by ensuring that the bully makes restitution, we are ensuring that the bully does not grow in status among their peers.

The study also suggests that another powerful strategy would be to involve other students and persuade them to become actively involved by letting the bully know that their behaviour is unacceptable to the group. It's a powerful approach, because of the age group.

At Merrin School we are trialling Restorative Justice because research has shown that schools that implement this well become much better places to be for everyone. Feel free to let us know how you think it's going. Syndicate 4 have redesigned the Yellow card to allow the victim more input into the process and we'll be looking for ways to positively involve their peers. Here is the new format.

Why Blog? It's for the Boys (and girls too . . .). But mainly the boys.

If you're reading this, then I have achieved my purpose! Writing, is all about having an audience. We know that boys are falling behind the girls academically. In Canada, England, USA, Australia and New Zealand (Ok - Michael Laws isn't the most levelheaded commentator, but if you want a better article go looking yourself, I hope the pattern speaks for itself).

Now take another step and a bit more time to see how some schools are improving their boys attitude and ability to communicate in writing. Essentially it's easy: make it real to them (at this age group that means get the peers involved), make it cool (technology, computers and youtube, what could be better?) and make it easy (keyboard, spellchecker and fibre).

What about the Boys?